Lobos, Boise State building quite the rivalry in MWC
Broncos lead series 9-7 since 2012
The Boise State Broncos don’t quite qualify as one of University of New Mexico’s top women’s basketball rivals. There’s not enough history yet.
But UNM and Boise State have made the most of their head-to-head matchups since the Broncos joined the Mountain West in 2011-12, playing numerous hard-fought, meaningful contests. Tonight’s meeting at Boise State’s Taco Bell Arena figures to be no different.
The Lobos (18-6, 6-5 Mountain West) are coming off back-to-back home wins and are trying to climb back into the regular-season conference race. UNM sits in sixth place in a tight race but still has games remaining against each of the five teams it is chasing.
That includes the Broncos (13-9, 7-4), a team UNM defeated 100-83 last month in Albuquerque. Don’t read too much into that final score. The Lobos led just 83-78 with four minutes remaining.
“We just happened to go on a big run right at the end,” Lobo senior Cherise Beynon recalled, “but that game was a battle. It’s always a battle with Boise State. They’re well-coached, they’re talented and we seem to match up well against each other.”
Last season’s matchup at Taco Bell Arena serves as a case in point. Boise State held on for a 64-62 win over UNM, foreshadowing a Broncos win by an identical score in the Mountain West tournament quarterfinals. The Broncos lead the series 9-7 since 2012 and have won two of the teams’ three MWC tournament matchups, including the 2015 championship game. All three went down to the wire.
UNM coach Mike Bradbury has just four games against Boise State under his belt, but he’s seen enough to appreciate the budding rivalry.
“We do seem to play similar styles and have pretty similar talent,” Bradbury said. “When that’s the case it comes down to who executes better on a given night. I look forward to games like that.”
The Lobos executed better in their Jan. 3 win over Boise State thanks to an 18-point, 15-assist performance by Beynon. But UNM has not been as efficient away from Dreamstyle Arena this season, going 15-1 at the Pit but just 3-5 on the road. The Lobos have dropped their last four road games.
While acknowledging the importance of tonight’s contest, Bradbury declined to give extra significance to the venue.
“Personally, I don’t really look at home-versus-road records,” he said. “I worry more about preparing for the opponent and about us playing well. We don’t even talk about where the game will be played.”
Still, the Lobos know they must improve their road results if they’re to climb the Mountain West standings. Four of UNM’s remaining seven games will be played away from home, including contests at first-place UNLV and at third-place Fresno State.
Beynon hopes to get a positive trend started tonight.
“We need to play Boise State the same way we did (at home),” she said. “If we do, we’ll have a chance to get a quality road win and we can build from there.”